


You're just a step away from us (and a whole world away from me)

by ArchWriter



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Flirting, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Mid-Season 2 Canon, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:20:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27735994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchWriter/pseuds/ArchWriter
Summary: Jughead and Veronica bridge the gap between them.Because despite the huge disparity in their family situations and social standing, they have a lot more in common than they realize.
Relationships: Jughead Jones & Veronica Lodge
Kudos: 7





	You're just a step away from us (and a whole world away from me)

**Author's Note:**

> I was cleaning my files from the USB from my old workplace, and found this. This was a fic I last edited in 2018, and having read it, a fic I wrote mid-season 2. That, or I wrote this as a denial of Riverdale's S2 ending.
> 
> Honestly, the show has just spiraled into chaos since season 2 ended. I didn't even bother watching S3. The show has just become...too much. Please let it end, or get some new writers to miraculously reboot the story.
> 
> All I remember thinking about watching the show is feeling frustrated at how two of the supposed savvy smart people in the show DO NOT have an actual friendship, which is why I wrote this in the first place.
> 
> Anyways, this fic was mostly finished, and so I edited it a bit and decided to post it. Hope you guys like it.

The first time Veronica and Jughead get together in the same space together without anyone else, it had been late at night, at the Blue and Gold's office, both discovering they were breaking into the school.

"Jughead?"

"Veronica? What are you doing here?"

"I just...came to get some papers I left here."

Jughead raised an eyebrow at her. "Were they important that they warranted a visit from Veronica Lodge at nine in the evening?"

Veronica eyed the boy standing by the desk where the drawer containing the papers she needed. On the table was Jughead's beanie, his laptop, and assortments of clippings and articles regarding whatever news or story Jughead was spinning for the school paper. She should have figured Jughead would still be here - he's Betty's associate editor and he has a lot of writing and editing to do - and she shouldn't be surprised at all that he was here.

She didn't want to fight, not tonight, not with Jughead, _not now_ , and so she looked straight into Jughead's eyes and replied.

"Hmm. Maybe it's important enough you might be curious about it as well."

~

The life of one Veronica Lodge was filled with intrigue, sabotage, and life in the spotlight, and it took her the longest time to realize that life under the public's scrutiny, especially in a town as small as Riverdale, was just as double-edged as any dangerous sword in any person's possession - capable of defense and self-harm at the same time.

Things hadn't calmed down since her Confirmation - the point in time she considers the turning point of all things relevant in her life in Riverdale - and well, if Veronica was being honest, it had been a long wavering battle from that point onwards.

She fought so hard against those that tried to put her down; that failed run for student body president being one such topping upon the many cupcakes of disappointment littering her metaphorical cupcake tier - and it had only gone downhill from then.

Fred Andrews running against her mother for mayor had put an obvious strain on her and Archie, but not in the way anyone might expect: Veronica knows her boyfriend has entered into some dubious arrangements with her father, and Archie's loyalty to his father painfully swinging away and towards Hiram Lodge has driven a wedge between the Andrews. Adding the fact that Archie's mom had decided to stay and help with the campaign didn't help; she and Archie were at odds, like his mom didn't know him anymore with all the time Archie spent outside family, and Archie wasn't telling them how involved he was with the Lodges.

That race had particularly imploded on itself - the Lodges' sketchy connections fell through partway into the campaign period, and there was a brief time that Veronica and her family were in terrible danger of being murdered with their defenses down, that it was only thanks to Archie's dogged perseverance to keep them safe and Betty's forgiving nature that allowed them to survive that whole ordeal.

Hermione, with enough sense of self-preservation, had to step out of the race because of that, and having shown honesty, integrity, and nothing but the purest of intentions to realize his vision for Riverdale, Fred Andrews won the town over, and was ushered as Mayor.

The Lodges had stayed low since then, recuperating and licking wounds suffered from such a blow, and it didn't help that Archie spent more time with her father than her, and that Betty still didn't know how to approach her, and that most of the school led by Josie and Reggie basically ostracized her.

Needless to say, her days were occupied with just going to school then straight home, shopping occasionally every other weekend, and studying.

She went out for the occasional milkshake with Kevin (whenever Archie was unavailable), trained with the Vixens, and spent looking at clothes and accessories with Cheryl and Toni, who were now almost always together since the Eve of the Great Escape from the Sisters.

It's been a rough year of staying low - well, as low as she could - because if she's being honest, Veronica will never be completely out of the spotlight. She's still with the Vixens, and she's occasionally made waves at school that include putting Reggie and his misogynistic ass in his place. She's made peace with Betty, and though they hung out now as they did before, it wasn't the same.

Sometimes Veronica wonders if the Lodge name carried a curse too, like the Blossom name did, something like " _your life will always be glamorous yet difficult, riddled with blood and guns and the latest designer shoes_."

It's ridiculous, Veronica thinks, what lengths her parents are willing to go to in order to reach their ambitions, how easily she fell into place with them, and how sad that Archie has been swept up in all that because he loves Veronica so much that he allowed himself to be pulled into their family matters, now too deep to escape.

Veronica won't allow that though.

A few weeks ago, Veronica accidentally overheard her father on the phone, talking viciously to whoever was on the other line. Hiram didn't notice her, and kept talking on the phone, vague enough for anyone to not decipher anything, but specific enough for Veronica to understand and draw conclusions.

It turns out her father had managed to reach some of their New York contacts, who had gone into hiding in Alaska since Papa Putin's murder, and that the Sodale Project was going to be picked up again. Now typically, this wouldn't be a problem - it would mean that the Lodges are on their way to rise from the ashes. But the Sodale Project would be a huge undertaking that would require huge force and manpower - a force that would come in the form of Barton Builders.

Barton Builders had been one her father's long time contacts, in the name of Felix and Eleanor Barton, who were a successful construction firm that had a number of carpenters, masons, planners, architects, interior designers, engineers, machine operators, and management teams under their employ. It was a large firm with multiple offices and warehouses across the country, and if Veronica knew any better, she'd say the Barton's were just as shrewdly devious as her family.

Veronica had been intimately acquainted with Felix Barton's son, Liam, and though he had been part of the same social circles she made rounds in, Liam was a saint in comparison to most Veronica's male friends like Nick St. Clair.

Having been genuine friends with Liam, Veronica was familiar with how the Bartons worked: they signed deals, worked out a schedule, and established an office and storage house for construction equipment near the place the construction would occur. Because this takes a lot of time, space, money, and public attention, the Bartons typically donated to the community in favor for their occupation, such as erecting a new building, or renovating a dilapidated structure. They were active in the communities they stay in, very cooperative with residing power in the place they were in, and were essentially the type of big corporation that visibly gave back to the community.

It was because of these humanitarian acts that Barton Builders have secured a lot of satellite offices across the country, and firmly anchored themselves where they stayed.

So very firmly anchored in fact, that they managed to drive out other construction offices within their radius.

Veronica knows this means one thing: Andrews Construction would go under with the Barton's presence.

The clincher? The community project the Barton's would be publicly proposing would be the expansion of Riverdale High to accomodate Southside High's students moving to them, constructing new buildings and funding new equipment. _Plus_ they would renovate Pickens Park and give back half of proprietary rights to Pops for Pop's Chocklit Shoppe - a gesture of goodwill towards the citizens of Riverdale that hold Pop's in high regard as a central piece in the community.

As the mayor, Fred Andrews would be an idiot to turn that down, because not only is the school, the park, and Pop's part of Fred's Riverdale vision, but it would be especially bad if he gets accused of rejecting the Barton's public offer due to personal and conflict of interest.

Fred would accept the offer on principle, both from the Barton's pressure and his own ideals, and Andrew's Construction would go under, and Fred would have no other career as the mayor to hold on to, to which Veronica knows in time Fred would be cheated out of.

Archie wouldn't even see it coming 'til it was too late.

Which is why Veronica snuck away the documents regarding the Barton deal when she got the chance to browse the mail that morning, and brought it with her to school to hide for safekeeping, until she could get her thoughts in order to break the news to Archie.

Of course, Veronica hid the documents in the safest place in the school at the moment: which was the Blue and Gold's office.

~

"Really now? Knowing you Veronica, I suppose I shouldn't have to run out of things to be curious about," Jughead drawled.

Veronica walked towards the table Jughead was leaning against, and without missing a beat, slid the drawer open and took out a manila envelope. It never stopped being a little crazy to her, how such a thin envelope with several sheets of paper inside could upturn a community and destroy a person. She only hesitated for a second before opening the envelope in front of Jughead, sighing in relief that none of the documents she had pilfered earlier were missing.

"So, what's in envelope? Nefarious plans courtesy of Hiram Lodge?"

Veronica never really liked it when Jughead was like this, pinning the blame of her family's actions on her because she was aware of it. In a sense, he was justified; she was in a position to do something and influence her parents' decisions regarding matters of their business since she was directly involved in said business, but Veronica knows that the people around her severely overestimate how much say she has over her mother and father's decisions.

She wanted to be nice to Jughead - he was Archie's best friend and Betty's boyfriend - but _god_ , Jughead was just so difficult to be with most of the time. The boy took angst-ridden anger and vehemence to an entirely new level - to the point she'd say Jughead was too obsessed with poetic justice rather than settling for realistic compromise to conflicts.

Jughead would rag on her any chance he got, and Veronica hated him for it.

They didn't like each other, fine, but the least the boy could do was be a bit less ready to pin blame on everything wrong with Riverdale on her, and be a bit more tolerant of the circumstances they were in.

"If you must know, these are documents that I have to run by with Archie. So if you don't mind..."

"If you really wanted to run it by Archie, you wouldn't even be here. You'd be at the Pembrooke, or at Pop's, and you wouldn't have had to take measures to hide those documents if it wasn't particularly of a sensitive nature."

"Well then, I see you've got me all figured out."

"What I don't get is why you have to hide the documents here, and come back for it so late at night. Didn't you ever learn your lesson the last time you snuck out late by yourself?"

"I can protect myself. And besides, who says I came alone?" Veronica raised an eyebrow at him.

"Who would be with you? You don't have bodyguards at the moment."

Veronica didn't deign him with an answer. Instead, she tucked the manila envelope close to her chest and pivoted on her heel, a clear dismissal and exit from the room.

"Veronica."

She turned around and looked at Jughead. He looked as roguish as usual, Serpent leather jacket stretched across his broad shoulders and an expression torn between a sneer and of genuine curiosity, perhaps even concern, if Veronica could properly tell.

"I'm not an idiot. You know that right? I'll figure it out. I always do."

Veronica took a huge breath and stilled her nerves. Should she tell him? If she did, it would only be a matter of time before news breaks into the papers, and Veronica would be a walking pariah again. She would only be giving Jughead more ammunition to take her down, and if it gets published, she would surely suffer her father's wrath.

But a part of her knows Jughead would be smarter than that. He wouldn't do something reckless as take shots at her without telling Betty, and though the two of them had a low-lying degree of trust issues with each other regarding Betty knowing how involved with the underground the Lodges were and the amount of secret deals they made behind everyone's back, Betty would take her side on this. Her and Betty's loyalty to each other was unfailing if not constant: they had each other's back.

Betty trusts Jughead - not just with her heart, but trusts him with her life - their lives even, and Veronica never lets a debt gone unpaid.

And Veronica owes Jughead. They both know it.

"I'll make it easier for you. Sodale is getting picked up again, and my father is hiring Barton Builders."

Jughead pushed himself off the table and took a step towards her. "What? Sodale? Barton Builders?"

"You're smart, Jughead. I'm sure you'll figure out why I'm acting so secretively tonight."

And with one final turn on her Blahnik heels, Veronica left the Blue & Gold's office room, leaving a curious and pensive Jughead in her wake.

~

Jughead Jones didn't like his life.

It was filled a lot more drugs, blackmail, profiling, discrimination, and murder than he'd like, and it was always a constant battle against those in higher position than him. Whether it be at school or just Riverdale in general, life sucks, and though there's not much he can do in terms of powerful influence, it's a good fight he's fighting for, and he's lucky he has people that support him.

He knows that of course, that he's lucky despite his rundown life. The people who care about him make it better: Betty with her support and trust in him, his dad who takes pride in him and makes sure he is safe, the Serpents, who have become less like a gang to him and more of a family. He even counts Alice Cooper's return to the Serpent fold a lucky strike; he and Betty's relationship now supported by both of their parents.

He'd like to say he'd count Archie, but after he cut off Jughead's chains at the protest of Southside High's demolition, they haven't been on the same pleasant ground as before. They weren't fighting, but they both understood that they were always going to fight for the opposing side - like two trains that once traveled the same destination now pulling off in opposite directions. Conversation with Archie these days was filled with painful small talk and careful bits of truthful sharing - only talking about school, their girlfriends, and whatever inane topic they ever come across.

Which was why the night Archie came to him clutching his bloody arm and Betty with a wild look on her face was a surprise, and an awful reminder that he and his friends lived far more dangerous lives than he'd cared to admit.

_"Jughead, the Lodges are in danger. Can the Serpents house them until it's safe?"_

_"Betty, you know how I feel about the Lodges. And Archie - you know what? Get inside and we'll look at that arm of yours."_

_"Jughead, please. I can't protect them. I can't risk putting Reggie and the others in the Black Circle in this kind of danger."_

_"But you could risk the Serpents?"_

_"I'm asking you because I know you can survive this. And I know you don't like the Lodges and I get it, okay? I'm not asking this of you as their lapdog or whatever it is you think I am to them. I'm asking this as a friend and Roni's boyfriend. Please say that you'll at least consider taking in Roni."_

_"Please Juggy? For Archie and me?"_

He was tempted to slam that door in the Lodges' face, but it was something he couldn't really refuse. His father would side with Archie and Betty; he knows it was the Lodges that paid off the living situation for the Serpents in the trailer park - that, and it would be the noble thing to do. And the four of them were friends, bitter feelings and distrust aside.

So for the next month, the Lodges packed their limited things from the Pembrooke and moved into an empty space in the trailer park, sharing living space with the Serpents and keeping a low profile. Assassination attempts disguised as accidents and petty crimes against the Lodges stopped after the move, reinforcing the belief that even the Serpents could deter the unknown forces after Hiram Lodge and his family.

It was even stranger that he and Hiram got to talk over dinners during the occasional opportunity nobody else was around to keep an eye on him, which was far more often than he realized. Conversations were stilted as they were both wary of each other; Jughead kept interrogating Hiram, and the older man kept trying to win Jughead's favor.

Eventually, they did settle on a weird common ground where they could discuss the legality and morality of man's actions, and how much of the ends is worth the means in which to get to it, which surprised Jughead with how much he and Hiram shared the same views, but with vastly different interpretations of it.

_"We are always going to be made to choose between two or three evils, Jughead."_

_"And the most we can do is choosing the lesser evil."_

_"But what if choosing the lesser evil will have consequences that will be more disastrous than choosing the far more evil choice? What if by choosing the lesser evil, you do manage to save your conscience, but in doing so, would inflict greater evil over those around you?"_

_"You think choosing the lesser evil would have worse consequences and be more difficult in the long run?"_

_"In a way, yes."_

Conversation with Hiram was like navigating a labyrinth; you had to be careful which turn you take with him if you don't want to be lost in the direction he wants you to follow. Hiram voiced that he was genuinely impressed with him and their conversations.

_"You know Jughead, Veronica has often told me how smart you are. I'm beginning to see firsthand how intuitive you actually are."_

_"She isn't so bad herself, though I think her social intelligence trumps mine, and my wilder imagination beats hers."_

_"You're both willful and steadfast in what you believe in. I'm finding that all four of you possess that to certain degrees."_

_"Except Archie is more impressionable than I am, and Betty doesn't bend as flexibly to outside interference as Veronica does."_

_"True. I feel that under different circumstances, we could be good allies, Jughead. Friends even."_

_"Don't push it Hiram."_

They don't become friends, not exactly, but Jughead did develop a better tolerance and understanding of Hiram Lodge and his motivations, as did the older man with him. They now both have a clearer idea how the other moves across a chess board, and why, and Jughead could see the similarities and differences between his own family situation and Veronica's family.

FP and Hiram landed themselves in bad situations; Jughead's mom left with Jellybean, Hermione stayed, though not faithfully. He and Veronica held their father in high regard, but didn't balk from questioning their decisions when they disagreed with it. They both had discernible reputations; Veronica the school's rich vixen that knew far more than she should, and Jughead the ramshackle gangster obsessed with writing and mysteries.

They were headstrong and valiant in their endeavors, the opposite of Archie and Betty who were cautious and easily pliable to outside opinions - which favored them, because without them, they would probably be in deeper trouble than they were in.

And they were both prone to using strong fronts to hide their emotions; Veronica as the rich, capable, and independent woman of the world, and Jughead as the decisive leader of the younger Serpents.

Jughead didn't want to see Veronica in that regard; it was easier to dislike her from a distance. Now that he's aware of her though, he's a little less ready to drag her through the mud to get information on whatever article he's writing on, and a lot more willing to rise to the challenge of figuring her out.

~

Jughead looks up Barton Builders and their background. Veronica was right: he did figure out why Veronica acting so secretively that night.

And he didn't like it.

~

The second time Jughead and Veronica were in the same places without Betty or Archie immediately at their sides, it was the Barton Builder's social dinner, two months after the night they bumped into each other at school.

Predictably, Veronica was present with her parents, Archie as her escort. Betty was present at the party as the editor-on-chief of the school paper - she had to write about the event - and Jughead came with her, as the Riverdale High's current student body president.

Jughead couldn't even believe it, even after a few weeks of having the position. The campaign itself was abysmal, even he could admit that, only having the Serpents, Betty, and only very few people supporting him. His wasn't like the loud campaign that Reggie and Josie had, or the subtle but ever present support that Veronica and Archie garnered.

After the results came in, it was a surprise to most of the parties involved that Jughead _did_ win, and the ensuing vote recount (instigated by Reggie) only supported it. Turns out Jughead's campaign fell upon actual listening ears - his promise to work with the cafeteria cooks to provide better food and to coordinate with the school administration for an anti-bullying campaign. Even his advocacy on getting the school board have a more tolerable curve on what they deemed as "appropriate dress code" won them over, which Jughead initially only mentioned because he wanted the Serpents to be able to wear their jackets to school. This particular advocacy was one he shared with Veronica, who offered him a raised eyebrow during this part of his speech.

In the face of reality, Josie's popularity and Reggie's pull on the Bulldogs didn't get them their win, and it was completely unsurprising to everyone that Veronica and Archie lost.

When Jughead asked Veronica what she thought about the results, she only gave him a secretive smile.

_"I knew I was going to lose. I just don't like backing down despite that. And besides, after the campaigns, even I didn't vote for myself."_

Jughead knew Veronica would _never_ vote for Reggie, which only left her with one other option who to vote for. He'd like to think she voted him because she wanted Betty to win, even if Betty wasn't her running mate.

Still, attending a fancy dinner such as this on invitation (getting a crisp cream-colored card with _Mr. Forsythe Pendleton Jones III_ written in elegant cursive in the mail was an experience in itself) was still jarring - he didn't see himself fitting in at all with the crowd despite the formal wear he had on.

He barely conversed with anybody, only talking to the people Betty took interest in, and found himself by the upper service hallway after the dinner itself commenced. He looked over the festivities with a sense of detachment, knowing he was only present because of Betty and the food.

He leaned by the railings, resting on his arms, content to remain out of view from a vantage point nobody looked towards his direction with everything happening down there.

"Not having a good time down there, president?"

Jughead turned around to look at the source of the lilting voice. Veronica, dressed in a simple dark blue dress, sauntered over in his direction. Upon closer inspection, her dress was designed with lace of the same color, simple enough not to draw attention, but understatedly detailed enough to give off an air of sophistication. Jughead couldn’t help but think that for Veronica, she was dressed to be as unimpressive as she could.

(She still pulled off unassumingly femme fatale quite well though, Jughead thought deprecatingly.)

“You know very well I’m not suited for events like this. I take what I could get, I get out. Betty does better than I do when it comes to people down there,” Jughead cocked his head to his side. “What are you doing here?”

“Mother and father have instructed me to be as present yet as low-profile as possible. So here I am.”

“The daughter of the mobster making deals with a renowned construction company taking over Riverdale, talking to the son of a known thug away from the prying eyes of the public.”

“Don’t be difficult Jughead. I’m making conversation.”

“As pleasant as your skills in small talk may be, I’d rather you get to the point. You found me, so what did you want to talk to me about?”

Veronica raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at him. “And how do you know I was looking for you?”

“I noticed from time to time that you were craning your head over the crowd, like you were absently looking for someone. It couldn’t have been Archie, since he was beside you for most of the time, and it couldn’t be Betty, since I saw you talked to each other by the open buffet.”

“And that would lead you to assume I was looking for you?”

“I know you saw me looking at you over dinner.”

Veronica shrugged. “Guilty as charged.” She turned away from him and walked closer to where he was. She looked over the railing Jughead was leaning on, and he looked where she was gazing at, taking in the scene below them: the well-dressed population of Riverdale and upper echelons of investors attracted by Sodale’s promise of economic gain despite its dubious proposal for a prison, muffled voices and laughter, the distant clinking of glasses and the wafting soft music from below – it was a pretty picture that Jughead could easily imagine Veronica being effortlessly proud of.

“You don’t seem unsurprised I went out of my way to look for you.”

Jughead turned his head slightly in Veronica’s direction. She was still not looking at him.

“I figured you would at some point, after our little unexpected tryst at the Blue and Gold,” Jughead replied drily. Veronica chuckled lightly.

“I assume you knew it would come to this. Or the very least, aware that all of this –” Veronica gestured to the scene below them “– was what I was trying to actively prevent from happening.”

“How’s Archie dealing?” Jughead asked.

“Fred is…not entirely happy with where Andrews Construction is at the moment. But he’s unfailingly trying to be the mayor Riverdale deserves, so he’s conceded to let the Barton's stay for the good of Riverdale. Altruistic, but foolish, and yet, unavoidable."

"As is the nature of most political endeavors and how they go," the boy surmised.

"Leaves one to wonder how many options are left to exhaust after the dust has settled a bit."

Jughead looked at Veronica at the edge of his vision. Though understated her dress may be, she looked sharp despite the lace. She reminds him of those female spies from the numerous conspiracy theories he used to read greedily as a kid - beautiful, easily underestimated, and deadly. There is a glint in Veronica's eyes that smolder with plans - nothing concrete, but enough to have her lost in thought.

He wonders why Veronica sought him out, and why she sounded like she wanted something from him.

"What do you want from me Veronica?" At this the girl beside him stares into him, and smiled.

"The Bartons, much like the Lodges, are a powerful family. And with such a large operation as one of the leading building contractors in the country, they've made a practice of making closets to hide their own skeletons from public view."

"Everyone has something to hide."

Veronica chuckled. "Even you?"

Jughead smirked. "Given my reputation, I prefer some parts of me to remain out of public scrutiny."

"Ooh, how mysterious of you, Mr. Jones," she teased. A beat later, her face turned somber and thoughtful again, and Jughead continued to stare. He kind of follows the thought he thinks Veronica is leading him to, but it's a ridiculous idea, and a dangerous one as well.

Perhaps he should warn her so.

Out of anyone's view, he leaned slowly into Veronica's space, the length of his body almost parallel to the girl's stiff posture. He felt Veronica tense at the proximity, but maintained composed, her face unbothered and looking away from him and into the crowd below them. His arms remained resting by the railings, though he did feel himself tense at the effort of feigning nonchalant close proximity.

"Idle minds bring forth dangerous thoughts, Veronica Lodge," he whispered into her ear, "but for what it's worth, should you be in need of an ally, you may find me scouring the lonely offices of the Blue and Gold, at the same hour we had our first little tryst."

He glimpsed a small, almost impressed smile out of Veronica, and without missing a beat, she turned her head towards him, her lips only a breath from his. It was heady, the feeling of flirting with Veronica Lodge and the danger that looms over her, but it doesn't feel indecent. Intriguing and curious, but not indecent.

"Trust me, Juggy, I can make it worth your time."

Jughead already regrets playing a game with Veronica that she is infinitely better at than him. He leaned away and kept his face passive, but by the amused expression on Veronica, he knows she knows he's embarrassed.

"Points for sheer audacity, but minus points for conceding right away when confronted with equal efforts. Though I must say, it's endearing how edgy Jughead Jones balks at unexpected positive female attention. No wonder Betty snatched you up."

He glared at her as she chuckled to herself.

"A fortnight from now, at the Blue and Gold," Veronica said after collecting herself, shooting him a meaningful look, "I would appreciate some intelligent company."

Jughead raised an eyebrow at her, and mimed a raised glass to her.

"As you wish, Miss Lodge."

**Author's Note:**

> While I don't see Jughead and Veronica as a romantic pairing, I will admit the idea of them together as genuine friends is awesome. I feel there's a chemistry and unique dynamic between the two characters that the show failed to explore. (Then again, the show failed itself over the years so...)
> 
> I felt like I wrote his as canon divergence past mid-season 2 because I felt that was the point in the show's story that could still be salvaged into a unique story. Since I stopped watching the show after S2, I suppose I'll never know.
> 
> I can easily recall where this story was going based on where I last left off, so if a lot of you are interested, I might be convinced to write a sequel to this. Anyways, tell me what you guys think of this! :D


End file.
